ONC Cancels ‘Cultural and Social Harvest’

The social and cultural harvest of king salmon for Bethel and a subsequent community dinner have been cancelled.

The events are sponsored by Bethel’s tribe, Orutsararmiut Native Council, and supported by the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation.

This year, directed king salmon fishing is prohibited on the Kuskokwim River due to low returns. But Federal Managers have authorized 32 villages along the Kuskokwim and coastal areas to participate in the special harvest of less than 1,000 king salmon.

Under the system tribal councils administer the permit. Zack Brink, ONC Executive Director, says the harvest and dinner were cancelled because a key staff member has had an unforeseen circumstance that has taken them away from Bethel.

The community dinner was set for June 20th. ONC was allowed to harvest up to 100 king salmon. It’s unclear whether ONC will reschedule their social and cultural harvest and dinner.

Some tribes are refusing to participate in the social and cultural harvest because they say they’re not allowed to harvest what they need.

The special permits allows for fishing, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 9pm and expires on June 30, or when the quota for the village is met.

Daysha Eaton is a contributor with the Alaska Public Radio Network.
Daysha Eaton holds a B.A. from Evergreen State College, and a M.A. from the University of Southern California. Daysha got her start in radio at Seattle public radio stations, KPLU and KUOW. Before coming to KBBI, she was the News Director at KYUK in Bethel. She has also worked as the Southcentral Reporter for KSKA in Anchorage.
Daysha's work has appeared on NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered", PRI's "The World" and "National Native News". She's happy to take assignments, and to get news tips, which are best sent via email.
Daysha became a journalist because she believes in the power of storytelling. Stories connect us and they help us make sense of our world. They shed light on injustice and they comfort us in troubled times. She got into public broadcasting because it seems to fulfill the intention of the 4th Estate and to most effectively apply the freedom of the press granted to us through the Constitution. She feels that public radio has a special way of moving people emotionally through sound, taking them to remote places, introducing them to people they would not otherwise meet and compelling them to think about issues they might ordinarily overlook.